Data communications networks include, for example, Ethernet communications technologies and standards. Ethernet communication is a family of computer networking technologies, for example, for local area networks (LANs), which defines layers and associates protocols for communications. Ethernet layer 2 includes a new 2.5 layer, and is considered a reliable transport layer. The new Ethernet 2.5 layer uses new hardware that runs new protocols for the 2.5 layer, and can route frames using the new hardware and protocols. The new layer 2.5 protocol contains all of the previous layer 2 functions, and a small subset of layer 3 functions. Previously, for example, in layer 2 of the Ethernet, layer 2 frames were not able to be routed through a router, and would thereby have to be forwarded by a switch, which limited the size and scope of a network.
However, one function that is not in the new 2.5 protocol is end to end flow control of packets or frames. End to end flow control ensures that frames are not discarded by the receiving device because the receiving device is not in a position to receive them. Therefore, in complex Ethernet/Enhanced Ethernet (Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)) environments, the monitoring of end to end flow control is performed manually by a network administrator.
One disadvantage of manual monitoring is that it is can be a tedious process which uses the time resources of the network administrator. The monitoring may include checking pause control frames by-hop, checking pause time counters and backward congestion notification for, switch to switch, or, switch to end, ports. Thus, there is no end to end flow control mechanism between an initiator and target, such as a start node and an end node, or two N ports. Due to the current lack of end to end flow control, troubleshooting and identifying problems, such as slow drain devices or real time path latency in a complex computer communication fabric is time consuming and cumbersome. For example, in large computing environments, with tens of thousands of ports (e.g., switch ports), searching and identifying problems may involve monitoring switch logs and searching port statistics to try and find likely candidates for performance impacts. Further, another problem with current end to end flow monitoring is that the administrator has to analyze the right “snap shot” of data when debugging performance declines related to pauses in certain traffic types. For example, the administrator may look at many snap shots of data to attempt by trial and error to find the right snap shot that relates to a performance decline of the network communications.